Method of and apparatus for aerating liquids



Oct. 2, 1934. w HUCKS 1,975,722

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR AERATING LIQUIDS Filed May 5, @953 lg. ll llWEN a, I I, l 1 1 INVENTOR WILLIAM HUCKS bj/zz's aziorzzeys MMW PatentedOct. 2, 1934 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR AEBATING LIQUIDS William Hucks,Camden Town, England, assignor of one-half to Sodastream Limited, CamdenTown,-England, a British company Application May 5,1933, Serial No.669,609 In-Great Britain June 16, 1932 5 Claims. (Cl; 225-21) Thisinvention relates to methods and apparatus for aerating water or otherliquid, (hereinafter referred to as water) in small quantities at atime, wherein an aerating receptacle has a g5 valvecontrolled inlet portthrough which water, from a source of supply, is admitted intothe saidaerating receptacle, and means are provided for admitting aerating gas,under pressure, into the aerating receptacle to aerate the watertherein, and for expelling the aerated water through an outlet port,controlled by a combined discharge and safety valve, into a dischargevvessel from .which it passes through an outlet spout'into a glass orother vessel, placed in position to receive it.

In apparatus for effecting the aeration of water, as aforesaid, theaerated water has hither.- to been expelled from the aerating receptacleby a piston-like body .reciprocatory therein.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved method andsimplified construction of apparatus, whereby the aforesaidreciprocatory piston-like body is dispensed with, and consists inexpelling the aerated water from the aerating receptacle by the inflowof a succeeding supply of non-aerated water admitted thereto when theinletand outlet ports of the receptacle are open.

,Apparatus in accordance with this invention comprises an aeratingreceptacle, preferably of conoidal formation, in communication at itsbase with a supply of water from anyrsuitable container, for example, bya tube from an inverted bottle, in the'known manner, or from a main.Communication between the aerating receptacle and the water container or.main is effected .-.thr.ough an inlet port in the base of the aeratingreceptacle-the said port being controlled by a valve normally held on'to its seating by a spring. The discharge vessel is preferably situatedabove and cast in one with the aerating receptacle and the water passesfrom the said receptacle into the discharge vessel through a passage theoutletport of which is controlled by the combined discharge and safetyvalve. The gas under pressure may be conveyed by a'pipe from a .gascontainer to the said aerating receptacle, the end of the said pipebeing preferably fitted -with a needle jet or atomizer housed in thewall of the aerating receptacle above the water level. combi d is ha ean sa et v v c n- ,,trolling the. aforesaid outlet port is connected,:to an operatinghand-leve'r .by means, herein- ;aiter-described, which,irrespective of movement ribe a ciet d ith h d e l a re ceptacle. Thewater is conveyed from the inverted bottle 2 to the aerating receptacle3 bya ofithe said lever, will permit the said valve to open if apredetermined pressure is exceeded in the aerating receptacle.

The, en ral struct n o t app ra u comprises a pedestal carrying theaforementioned combination of aerating receptacle, dis- 6Q charge vesseland operating mechanism and also the Water bottle or container, the pipeleading from the said container to the valve at the base of the aeratingreceptacle being suitably ar ranged to serve as a means for draining theaerating receptacle when it is necessary to empty it.-

- If desired, a counting device may be provided to. indicate'the numberor operations, or the amount of water aeratedand drawn off,

The valve controlling the inlet port of the aerating receptacle isconnected to the valve controlling the outlet port thereof by means suchthat movement of the operating hand-lever operates both valves in theirproper sequence.

I will more particularly describe this invention with reference to theaccompanying drawing which illustratea'in section, an apparatusconstructed in accordance therewith, the valves being shown in theiropen position.

Referr n o the d aw n 1 in a e e destal having a socket 1a adapted toreceive the neck of an inverted bottle 2 for containing a supply ofwater to be aerated and a recessed portion, or well, 11) to the base ofwhich is secured, by bolts 1c, the lowe portion o a un t co p i ns ne rain pta l a sc ar v s el 4 formed in one with the said receptacle, andcontroll n a d p ra in m a s he n te pipe 5 in communication with apassage 6 opening into the base of the said receptacle and controlled bya valve 7 normally held on its seating 8 v by a spring-9 interposedbetween a shoulder in the said passage and a head 10 on the stem 11 ofthe said valve. e r

Communication between the aerating receptacle 3 and the discharge vessel4 is' effected through a tubular piece 12 screwed into the partitionbetween the said receptacle and vessel and having its outlet endcontrolled by a combined cha e nd afety al e 13- T bu ce 12 projectsdownwardly into the aerating receptacle 3 and constitutes means foreffecting an air-lock space 14 at the top of the said receptacle thusproviding a normally water-free space i to which the end of a needlejet, ,or atomizer, 16 projects which admits gas, under pressure into .110

the said receptacle, when required; to aerate the water therein. The gasunder pressure is conveyed by a pipe 115 from a gas container (notshown) tc the needle jet, or atomizer, 16 which is shown removablysecured in a housing-1'7 screwed into a socket 18 formed in the wall ofthe aerating receptacle 3. The end of the needle jet, or atomizer, 16projecting into the air-lock space 14, discharges the gas under pressuredownwardly through the air-lock space 14 into the Water in the saidreceptacle and thus water is prevented from entering the gas containerby way of the pipe 15 and the said jet, or atomizer.

The combined discharge and safety valve 13 controlling the outlet portof the aerating receptable 3 is connected to an operating hand-lever 19by means such that upward movement of the said lever causes the saidvalve to open the said port and downward movement of the lever willcause the valve to close the port with a resilient pressure which willyield to permit the said valve to open the said port should the aeratedwater in the said receptacle exceed a predetermined pressure, and thencause the said valve to be reseated when the excess pressure hasescaped.

This is effected by connecting the combined discharged and safety valve13 by a shackle 2? to a pin 20 passed transversely through a tubularpiece 21, having secured thereto a guiding element 22 slidable in thedischarge vessel 4, and through the ends of a pair of eccentric straps23 mounted on an eccentric 24 rotatably mounted on a shaft 25 fixed'in aslotted extension 26 of the discharge vessel 4, to which eccentric thehand-lever 19 is secured. The shackle 27 has cutwardly bent ends whichfit into holes in a collar formed on the valve 13, and the looped end ofthe said shackle is normally held in engagement with the pin 20 by aspring 28 interposed between the said valve and the guiding element 22.When the valve 13 reaches its seating further downward movement of thehand-lever 19 causes the -pin 20, the tubular piece 21 and the guidingele-- want 22 thereon to move relatively to the shackle 2'7 andcompresses the spring 28 so that it acts to exert a predeterminedpressure on the said valve to maintain it normally on its seating. Thisspring will however yield and permit the valve to open should thepressure in the aerating receptacles exceed that exerted by the springso that the excess pressurecan escape as aforesaid, after which the saidspring re-seats the said valve.

After-"the water in the receptacle 3 has been aerated it is necessarythat its inlet port should not be opened before its outlet port,otherwise the aerated water, due to its greater pressure,

would pass through the said inlet port into the inverted bottle 2. Thecombined discharge and safety valve 13 is therefore connected to thevalve 7 by means which will cause, upon the operation of the hand-lever19, the valve 7 to open the inlet -'7 at the commencement of the upwardmovement of the said stem. This coupling may consist, as shown in thedrawing, of a non-rotatable disc 30 slidable in a socket'31 formed inthe upper portion of the valve 7, into which disc the end of the stem 29is screwed. Initial movement of the valve 13 opens the outlet portcontrolled thereby and causes the disc 30 to ascend in the socket 31,

whereupon subsequent movement causes the said disc to engage and lift acollar 32 secured within the said socket 31 at a suitable distance abovethe said disc thereby actuating the valve 7 in opposition to the actionof the spring 9 and opening the inlet port, 1 e

When in operation for service, the operating 'hand-lever 19 is turned inthe direction to lift the valves '7 and 13 oh their seatings so that theinlet and outlet ports of the aerating receptacle 3 are opened as showninthe drawing. Water then flows into the aerating receptacle 3 and whenthe latter is full, which can be observed by the overflow of waterthrough the outlet spout 33 from the discharge vessel 4, the saidoperating handlever is turned in the reverse direction so that the inletand outlet ports are both closed. When escape past the saidvalve. Afterthe supply of gas under pressure has been cut off, the operatinghand-lever 19 is turned in the direction to open the inlet and outletvalves, the movement thereof being effected in their proper sequence ashereinbefore described, whereupon the inflow of Water from the invertedbottle 2 expels the aerated water from the aerating receptacle into thedischarge vessel and from thence through theoutlet spout 33 thereof intoa'glass, or other receiver, placed in position to receive it. When thedesired quantity of aerated water has been delivered from the aeratingreceptacle 3, the operating hand-lever 19 is turned in the direction tomove the valves '7 and 13 so that the inlet and outlet portsare againclosed, the said receptacle then containing a further charge of waterready for aerating.

In the drawing a counting device 34 for recording thenumber' ofoperations of the apparatus is shown secured to the hand-lever 19 whichis operated, upon the upward movement of the said lever, by a link 35one end of which is connected to the actuating lever of the said deviceand the other end being secured to the fixed shaft 25 upon which theeccentric 24s turns. The drawing further shows the pipe 5 provided withan extension 5a, constituting a drain, normally closed by a cap 5bscrewed onto the outer end thereof.

What I claim is:

1. The improved method of effecting the discharge of aerated liquid inapparatus of the kind referred to, which consists in expelling theaerated liquid from the aerating receptacle when the gas pressure isreleased by the inflow of a succeeding the said aerated liquid. 7

2. Apparatus for aerating liquids. comprising an aerating receptacle anda discharge vessel, a source of supply in communication with the saidaerating receptacle from which the liquid is obtained, valve controlledinlet and. outlet ports communicating respectively between the saidsource of supply and the aerating receptacle and between the saidaerating receptacle and the dis- "charge vessel, the said valves beingcoupled and outlet port is opened in advance of the inlet port.

3. Apparatus 'in accordance with the preceding supply of non-aeratedliquid in directcontact with 1135 claim 2, wherein the outlet port ofthe aerating 115(1 receptacle is controlled by a combined discharge andsafety valve having a seating and a spring and resiliently held onto itsseating by the action of said spring so that should the pressure in theaerating receptacle exceed that exerted by the said spring the latterwill yield and allow the said valve to open and release the pressure inthe said receptacle until equilibrium is restored whereupon the saidvalve will then close again.

4. Apparatus in accordance with the preceding claim 2, wherein thecoupling of the valves is effected by an element having a socket andbeing capable of limited movement axially Within said socket, saidoutlet valve having a stem secured to the said element and the saidsocket comprising the upper portion of the inlet valve.

5. Apparatus in accordance with the preceding claim 2, wherein apartition is provided between said receptacle and vessel, andcommunication between the aerating receptacle and the discharge vesselis efiected by a tubular piece in said partition, the said tubular pieceprojecting downwardly into the said aerating receptacle so that when theincoming liquid reaches its lower end an air-locked space is formed inthe upper portion of the said receptacle, and wherein said source ofsupply comprises a gas supply container, a pipe in communicationtherewith, and a needle jet or atomizer in communication with said pipe,and wherein the end of said needle jet, or atomizer, projects into saidspace and discharges gas under pressure downwardly therethrough into theliquid in the said receptacle and thus prevents liquid passing therefrominto the gas supply container by Way of said pipe.

WILLIAM HUCKS.

